is a

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

fighting

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

that combines the universes of several ''

Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...

'' manga series, including former series and some that have been transferred to other magazines. It was released in Japan by Bandai Namco Entertainment on March 19, 2014 for the

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...

and PlayStation Vita in celebration of ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''s 45th anniversary. It was re-released for western territories as ''J-Stars Victory VS+'' for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita, with an additional Arcade Mode for the international release. It was released in Europe on June 26, 2015 and in North America on June 30, 2015. A follow-up game, '' Jump Force'', released on February 15, 2019 to tie in with the 50th anniversary of ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''.

Gameplay

''J-Stars Victory VS'' lets up to four players battle it out against one another using a gameplay and graphical style similar to those of ''Dragon Ball: Zenkai Battle Royale''. Fighters can move and fight in all directions on one of twelve 3D battle fields, each based on a location from a different ''Jump'' series. Players should learn the lay of the land and formulate a battle plan with a character suited to it. A defeated character comes back after a set amount of time passes. To win the battle, all three sections of the WIN gauge at the top of the screen have to be filled; the gauge fills one section each time an opponent is defeated. Fighters can use regular attacks, power attacks, area-based attacks, and finishing moves. Regular attacks are the main part of the battle, and all combos begin with them. Power attacks leave the user open, but they have a big impact if they connect and their power can be increased by charging them up. Area-based attacks allow to hit opponents over a wide area. By using different techniques, the player can lead his team to victory; learning each character's different power, range, and effects is the first step towards being unbeatable. Playable game modes include "J-Adventure", a multi-player story mode divided between four campaigns in which players explore a world map, battle various opponents, and collect in-game cards to power up their characters; "Victory Road", a multi-player battle mode in which players must complete certain predetermined objectives during battles; and a free-battle mode which supports up to two players in local offline play and up to four players via online multiplayer. An additional single-player Arcade Mode is exclusive to ''J-Stars Victory VS+''.

Plot

The game's story mode, "J-Adventure", takes place in Jump World, an amalgamation of the different characters' universes. As the story begins, each of the characters is preparing for the Jump Battle Tournament, a fighting competition organized by the God of Jump World, who promises to grant the wishes of the team that wins. The narrative is split between four different arcs, each focusing on a different team exploring Jump World, gathering more teammates to compete, and working to achieve their own personal goals. The Dynamic Arc focuses on Monkey D Luffy, Portgas D Ace and Seiya; the Hope Arc on

Naruto Uzumaki () is the titular protagonist of the manga ''Naruto'', created by Masashi Kishimoto. As the series progresses, he is a young ninja from the fictional village of Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village). The villagers ridicule and ostracize Naruto on ...

, Yusuke Urameshi, and Gon Freecss; the Investigation Arc on

Toriko is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro. It follows the adventures of Toriko, a Gourmet Hunter, as he searches for rare, diverse foods to complete a full-course meal. On his journey, he is accompanied b ...

, Zebra, and

Goku Son Goku is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He is based on Sun Wukong (known as Son Goku in Japan and Monkey King in the West), a main character of the classic Chin ...

; and the Pursuit Arc on

Ichigo Kurosaki is a fictional character in the ''Bleach'' manga series and its adaptations created by Tite Kubo. He is the main protagonist of the series, who receives Soul Reaper powers after meeting Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper assigned to patrol around th ...

, Tatsumi Oga, and Hiei. To progress, each team defeats tournament examiners to acquire upgrades for their ships so they can reach the arena; they also acquire additional allies in the wake of a mysterious enemy that can possess them. When one of the teams wins the tournament, the God of Jump World reveals the true purpose of the competition: to gather warriors to combat the Dark Phantoms, an evil force capable of impersonating strong fighters. Using the keys of Effort, Bravery and Friendship, the heroes travel to the Dark Phantoms' world and seal them away. With the Dark Phantoms defeated, all the heroes are offered a wish. They collectively wish to have another tournament so they can fight again and get stronger. Granting it, the God of Jump World rewards the heroes with a feast.

Characters

The game features 52 characters from 32 different ''Jump'' series. 39 of these characters are playable, while 13 of them can be summoned by players to provide support.

Playable characters

;'' Assassination Classroom'' * Koro-sensei ;''

Beelzebub Beelzebub ( ; he, ''Baʿal-zəḇūḇ'') or Beelzebul is a name derived from a Philistine god, formerly worshipped in Ekron, and later adopted by some Abrahamic religions as a major demon. The name ''Beelzebub'' is associated with the Can ...

'' * Tatsumi Oga paired with Baby Beel ;'' Bleach'' *

Sōsuke Aizen is a fictional character from the manga series ''Bleach'' created by Tite Kubo and the main villain of the first half of the series (and the most significant one for the entirety of the anime adaptation). He is the captain of the Fifth Division o ...

;''

Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo is a Japanese comedy manga series written and illustrated by Yoshio Sawai. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from February 2001 to November 2005, with its chapters collected in twenty-one ' ...

'' *

paired with Don Patch ;''Chinyūki: Tarō to Yukai na Nakama-tachi'' *Taro Yamada ;''

Dr. Slump is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was serialized in Shueisha's anthology magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1980 to 1984, with the chapters collected into 18 ''tankōbon'' volumes. The series fol ...

'' *

Arale Norimaki is a fictional character and the protagonist of the '' Dr. Slump'' manga series, created by Akira Toriyama. She is a robot built by Senbei Norimaki who looks like a young girl. She is known for her naïveté, energetic personality, lack of common ...

paired with Gatchan ;'' Dragon Ball'' * Son Goku *

Vegeta ( ), also referred as is a fictional character in the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise created by Akira Toriyama. Vegeta first appears in chapter #204 "Sayonara, Son Goku", published in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine on November 7, 1988, seeking t ...

Frieza , also known and spelled as Freeza in Funimation's English subtitles and Viz Media's release of the manga, is a fictional character in the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He makes his debut in Chapter #247: "Dark Clouds ...

;''

Fist of the North Star is a Japanese manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' for 245 issues published from 1983 to 1988 and initially collected in 27 ' ...

'' *

Kenshiro is a fictional character and the protagonist of the ''Fist of the North Star'' manga series created by Tetsuo Hara and Buronson. According to Hara and Buronson, Kenshiro's character design was primarily based on the martial artist and actor ...

Raoh is a fictional character in the ''Fist of the North Star'' manga franchise by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara. He is the eldest of four honorary brothers (including the protagonist Kenshiro) who trained in the ancient assassination art of Hokuto Shin ...

;''

Gintama is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2003 to September 2018, later in ''Jump Giga'' from December 2 ...

'' *

Gintoki Sakata is a fictional character in the manga and anime franchise ''Gin Tama'' created by Hideaki Sorachi. Gintoki is the protagonist of the series and his name serves as part of the basis of the series' title. He is introduced as a former rebel samurai ...

;'' Hell Teacher Nūbē'' * Meisuke Nueno (Nūbē) ;''

Hunter × Hunter ''Hunter × Hunter'' (stylized as ''HUNTER×HUNTER'' and pronounced "hunter hunter") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōn ...

'' *

Gon Freecss is the protagonist from Yoshihiro Togashi's manga series ''Hunter × Hunter''. A young boy, Gon discovers that his father, who left him at a young age, is actually a world-renowned Hunter, a licensed professional who specializes in fantastical p ...

* Killua Zoldyck ;''

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was originally serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1987 to 2004, and was transferred to the monthly ''seinen'' manga ...

'' *

Jonathan Joestar is a fictional character in the Japanese manga series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. Jonathan is the main protagonist of the series' first story arc, '' Phantom Blood''. In late 19th-century England, the ...

* Joseph Joestar ;''

Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo , often shortened to , and known in English as ''KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops'', is a Japanese comedy manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Akimoto. It takes place in the present day, in and around a neighborhood police station ( k� ...

'' * Kankichi Ryotsu ;''

Medaka Box The Japanese rice fish (''Oryzias latipes''), also known as the medaka, is a member of genus ''Oryzias'' ( ricefish), the only genus in the subfamily Oryziinae. This small (up to about ) native of East Asia is a denizen of rice paddies, marshes ...

'' * Medaka Kurokami ;''

Naruto ''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...

'' *

Sasuke Uchiha () is a fictional character in the ''Naruto'' manga and anime franchise created by Masashi Kishimoto. Sasuke belongs to the Uchiha clan, a notorious ninja family, and one of the most powerful, allied with . Most of its members were massacred ...

Madara Uchiha is a fictional manga and anime character in the ''Naruto'' series created by Masashi Kishimoto. He appears for the first time in "Part II" of the manga and the ''Shippuden'' anime adaptation, as a major antagonist. He, along with its first Hokag ...

;''

One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine '' Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual cha ...

'' * Monkey D. Luffy * Portgas D. Ace *

Boa Hancock also known as is a fictional character in the ''One Piece'' franchise created by Eiichiro Oda. She is the captain of the Kuja Pirates and was the only female member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea prior to the organization's disbandment. She ...

* Akainu ;''

Reborn! ''Reborn!'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Amano. It follows Tsunayoshi Sawada, a young boy who discovers that he is next in line to become boss of the Vongola family, a powerful Mafia organ ...

'' *

Tsuna Sawada , commonly nicknamed , is a fictional character and the protagonist of the manga and anime series ''Reborn!'' created by Akira Amano. In the story, Tsuna is one of the long lines of descendants from the Vongola family, a mafia that exists in Ital ...

paired with Reborn ;''

Rurouni Kenshin is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The story begins during the 11th year of the Meiji period in Japan (1878) and follows a former assassin from the Bakumatsu, known as Hitokiri Battosai. After his wor ...

'' *

Himura Kenshin , known as Kenshin Himura in the English-language anime dubs, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the manga '' Rurouni Kenshin'' created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Kenshin's story is set in a fictional version of Japan during the Meiji p ...

Shishio Makoto , known in the English anime in Western order as Makoto Shishio, is a fictional character from the ''Rurouni Kenshin'' manga series created by Nobuhiro Watsuki and the main antagonist of the ''Kyoto Arc'', the second arc of the series. Shishio i ...

;''

Saint Seiya , also known as ''Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac'' or simply ''Knights of the Zodiac'' (translated from the French title ''Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque''), is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. It w ...

'' * Pegasus Seiya ;''

Sakigake!! Otokojuku , also known as simply ''Otokojuku'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Miyashita. It was originally serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1985 to 1991. It is staged in an all-boys school that ...

'' * Momotaro Tsurugi ;'' The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.'' *Kusuo Saiki ;'' Tottemo! Luckyman'' * Luckyman ;''

'' *

Zebra Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: the Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. zebr ...

;''

Yu Yu Hakusho is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The series tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who is struck and killed by a car while attempting to save a child's life. After a number of te ...

'' *

Yusuke Urameshi The ''YuYu Hakusho'' manga series features a diverse cast of Character (arts), fictional characters created by Yoshihiro Togashi. It follows fourteen-year-old junior high school delinquent #Yusuke Urameshi, Yusuke Urameshi, who dies and is resur ...

* Hiei *

Younger Toguro The ''YuYu Hakusho'' manga series features a diverse cast of Character (arts), fictional characters created by Yoshihiro Togashi. It follows fourteen-year-old junior high school delinquent #Yusuke Urameshi, Yusuke Urameshi, who dies and is resur ...

Support characters

;''Bleach'' *

Rukia Kuchiki is a fictional character in the anime and manga series ''Bleach'' created by Tite Kubo. In the series, she is a Soul Reaper, (死神, Shinigami, literally 'Death God'), in charge of slaying evil spirits called Hollows. At the beginning, after a ...

;'' D.Gray-man'' *

Allen Walker is the fictional protagonist of the manga series ''D.Gray-man'', which was created by Japanese artist and writer Katsura Hoshino. In the series, which is set in the 19th century, Allen is a teenager who joins the Black Order—a group of soldi ...

;''Gintama'' * Kagura and Sadaharu ;''

Haikyū!! is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Haruichi Furudate. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from February 2012 to July 2020, with its chapters collected in 45 ''tankōbo ...

'' * Shōyō Hinata ;''Hunter × Hunter'' * Hisoka ;''

Kuroko's Basketball is a Japanese sports manga series written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2008 to September 2014, with its chapters collected in 30 ' ...

'' * Tetsuya Kuroko ;''Medaka Box'' * Misogi Kumagawa ;'' Neuro: Supernatural Detective'' * Neuro Nōgami ;'' Nisekoi'' *Chitoge Kirisaki ;'' Pyu to Fuku! Jaguar'' * Jaguar Junichi ;''Sakigake!! Otokojuku'' * Heihachi Edajima ;''

Sket Dance ''Sket Dance'' (stylized as ''SKET DANCE'') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kenta Shinohara. The manga follows the adventures of the ''Sket-dan'', a high school club whose goal it is to help the students and teachers ...

'' * Bossun, Himeko, and Switch ;''

To Love Ru is a Japanese manga series written by Saki Hasemi and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine from April 2006 to August 2009, and the chapters collected into 18 ''tank ...

'' *

Lala Satalin Deviluke is a fictional character and the main female protagonist of the manga series ''To Love Ru'', created by Saki Hasemi and Kentaro Yabuki. In the series, Lala is an alien princess from the planet Deviluke who, to avoid marrying one of her marriage ...

In addition to these characters, ''Gin Tama'''s Shinpachi Shimura can be heard providing commentary to some of Gintoki's battle actions and pre-fight dialogue. Other characters from each series make non-playable cameo appearances in the game's story mode.

Development

The game was first announced in December 2012 under the title of Project Versus J, in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''s second issue of 2013. It was made to commemorate the 45th anniversary of ''Jump'', and has been presented as the "ultimate ''Jump'' game". ''J-Stars Victory VS'' features characters and settings from various ''Jump'' manga, both past and present, ranging from older properties such as '' Dragon Ball'', ''

YuYu Hakusho is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The series tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who is struck and killed by a car while attempting to save a child's life. After a number of ...

'', and ''

'', current long-running series such as ''

'', '' Bleach'', ''

'', and ''

'', to newer series such as ''

'', '' Assassination Classroom'', and ''

''. The first three characters that were unveiled and used to promote the game were Son Goku, Monkey D. Luffy, and Toriko. Also in December, it was announced that fans could vote for some of the characters that they want to be included in ''J-Stars Victory VS''. Several other characters were announced over the following months via the "Weekly Shōnen Jump" and "

V Jump is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine, focusing on new manga as well as video games based on popular manga. The magazine's debut was in 1993 by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. History A prototype magazine called '' Hobby's Jump ...

" magazines, as well as characters' transformations which would be available as special moves. The game's adventure mode also features other non-player characters from the various series. Producer Koji Nakajima stated that getting the rights to the multiple franchises owned Shueisha was not hard, but rather determining which actions the characters make in the game was the most difficult part. Since some of the characters do not fight in their series, their actions and motions had to be approved by each licensee after many negotiations. He also stated that he originally hoped to include a much larger roster of characters. A limited edition "

Anison , also shortened to , is a genre of music originating from Japanese pop music. Anime songs consist of theme, insert, and image songs for anime, video game, and audio drama CD series, as well as any other song released primarily for the anime ...

" version of the game includes the theme songs from the player characters' television series, such as " Cha-La Head-Cha-La" and " We Are!", as music that can be played in-game during battles. The game's own theme song is "Fighting Stars", performed by Hironobu Kageyama,

Hiroshi Kitadani is a Japanese singer, who primarily performs theme songs and other songs in anime. He also works behind the scenes of many songs. He currently works with JAM Project. He is most famous for singing the first, fifteenth, nineteenth (with Kishidan) ...

, and

Akira Kushida , is a Japanese vocalist who is well known for his work in the soundtracks for anime and tokusatsu productions, most notably ''Taiyou Sentai Sun Vulcan'', ''Kinnikuman'', and '' Space Sheriff Gavan''. His nickname from his fans is . His real give ...

''J-Stars Victory VS+''

In December 2014, Bandai Namco announced that the game would be released in North America and Europe under the name ''J-Stars Victory VS+''. Released in summer 2015, ''VS+'' retains the original Japanese voice-over track and adds an additional single-player Arcade Mode not present in the original release. ''VS+'' also marks the game's first appearance on the PlayStation 4, in addition to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita as with its predecessor. The new release features an identical character roster to the original, while also incorporating game balance adjustments based on feedback from Japanese players. A ''J-Stars Victory VS+ Compendium'' art book and set of PlayStation themes were offered as a pre-order bonus.

Reception

The game was given a review score of 32/40 by ''

Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the f ...

''. Following its first week of release, the PS3 version of the game sold 118,240 units in Japan while the Vita version sold 97,821 units. Japanese sales tracker

Media Create is a Japanese company that gathers and analyzes data from the digital entertainment industry, specifically focusing on the Japanese console gaming market. Business operations include publishing, market research and consulting. It is a popular we ...

reported that the PS3 version of the game sold through 86.55% of its shipment, while the Vita version sold through 89.25% of its shipment. For a multiplatform release, the Vita version did well, Media Create says. Richard Eisenbeis of '' Kotaku'' praised the game's roster for taking from many different series and how each character has a unique fighting style. However, he said that despite this each character plays the same, with strong, weak and knockdown attacks, and titled his review "''J-Stars Victory VS'' Gets Real Old Real Fast". He also noted the lack of a meaningful plot in the story mode. The western PlayStation 4 release has a score of 61 on

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

while the PlayStation Vita version has a 74; both indicating mixed or average reviews. '' IGN'' awarded it a score of 5.0 out of 10, saying "Despite a great cast of characters, ''J-Stars Victory Vs.+'' fails to leverage their charm on or off the battlefield".

References

External links

Official website
*
Game Manual
(PS3, PS4) {{Navboxes , title=Series featured in ''J-Stars Victory VS'' , list1= {{Assassination Classroom {{Bleach {{Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo {{D.Gray Man {{Dr. Slump {{Dragon Ball games, state=collapsed {{Fist of the North Star {{Gintama {{Hunter × Hunter {{JoJo's Bizarre Adventure {{Naruto {{One Piece {{Reborn! {{Rurouni Kenshin {{Saint Seiya {{To Love-Ru {{YuYu Hakusho 2014 video games Bandai Namco games Bleach (manga) video games Crossover fighting games Dragon Ball games Fist of the North Star video games JoJo's Bizarre Adventure games Multiplayer and single-player video games Naruto video games One Piece games PlayStation 3 games PlayStation 4 games PlayStation Vita games Saint Seiya video games Spike Chunsoft video games Fighting games Video games based on anime and manga Video games developed in Japan Weekly Shōnen Jump (video game series) YuYu Hakusho games Video games scored by Yasuharu Takanashi